


A Roommate for the Night

by midnightshon



Series: A Roommate for the Night [1]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2019-07-28 13:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16243010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightshon/pseuds/midnightshon
Summary: “Irene wants to share a room with Wendy because she thinks she is capable of giving Wendy the amount of love Wendy needs.”Her singing ability was unquestionably the best. Her guitar skill was more than okay. Irene did not think Wendy needed to go to such extent to impress everyone.





	1. A Roommate for the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Irene wants to share a room with Wendy because she thinks she is capable of giving Wendy the amount of love Wendy needs.”
> 
> Her singing ability was unquestionably the best. Her guitar skill was more than okay. Irene did not think Wendy needed to go to such extent to impress everyone.

Adding her signature at the end of the letter, Irene finished her writing. She looked at the piece of paper before her, skimming through each paragraph with a strange tingling sensation in her stomach. No matter how many times she read the letter, Irene still could not believe it was her who wrote it. It sounded so cheerful yet very intimate, too intimate for Irene’s liking. She was not that intimate to strangers, let alone the strangers being her fans, she did not usually talk in such a tone. The letter was her, yet in so many different ways was not her as well.   
  
Irene was contemplating if she should tear the letter in half and start a new one with a more formal tone in it when the front door opened. Not the kids, Irene noted as she heard no noises following after.   
  
Earlier, through some magic that only occurred once in a blue moon, Seulgi announced that she would bring Joy and Yeri along to karaoke. “To loosen up a bit,” Seulgi said to her when Irene shot her a questioning look. “They’re nervous from the preparation for tomorrow.” Irene did not ask if Seulgi had brought the possible headache into consideration while deciding to bring the two satans with her, and simply dismissed them.   
  
  
It had only been two hours since they left, plus Yeri and Joy had never been this quiet when they arrived. It was not the trio, and thus leaving Irene with one last person. Wendy.   
  
A smile was automatically formed on her lips as soon as she saw the younger girl entering the kitchen.   
  
“Oh, unnie, you’re home,” Wendy greeted her, mirroring Irene’s smile though it did not quite reach her eyes. There was a hint of tiredness in her voice, and Irene wondered why Wendy even felt the need to hide it when it was Irene alone who was witnessing it.   
  
Irene stalked Wendy’s movement with her eyes, focusing on the latter’s hands, as Wendy made her way to the sink. Wendy washed them, and Irene was not sure if it was just her sleepless eyes, but those fingers looked thinner than they were that morning. Irene’s frown grew deeper when her eyes caught a slight twitch in the girl’s expression when she turned off the tap.   
  
“Did you figure out the keys all right?” Irene went to stand next to Wendy, offering her another smile.   
  
“All good.”   
  
“Tea?”   
  
“No, thank you. I’ll just have some water—”   
  
Irene was quick on her feet, and before Wendy finished her words she already brought a glass of water. She waited while Wendy took a gulp and simply watched her in silence, though could not help but wonder why it took Wendy so long to come back from practice.   
  
True, tomorrow would be the first day of their first mini album promotion, and the five of them had promised to give their best for the live broadcast. Which was the very reason Joy and Yeri were nervous and Seulgi was so considerate to bring the two to her usually lone trip to karaoke, and also why Irene gave her all into writing that embarrassing piece of letter. Yet it did not settle quite well with Irene how Wendy spent her days locked up in the practice room, tiring her vocal cord and straining her fingers from hours of singing and playing guitar. Her singing ability was unquestionably the best. Her guitar skill was more than okay. Irene did not think Wendy needed to go to such extent to impress everyone.   
  
Though having such thoughts, Irene did not voice it out because the younger girl looked very much content. Pleased. And Irene was not that much nagging of a person, so she saved her comment for another time.   
  
“What were you up to?” Finally, Wendy finished drinking. She glanced at the table then back at Irene.   
  
“Uh, you know... our three minute corner tomorrow.”   
  
“Oh?” Wendy’s eyes twinkled in excitement.   
  
“And before you ask, no, you may not read it.”   
  
The excitement died as fast as it came to life, and the owner pouted.   
  
Irene swiftly went back to her seat, dodging Wendy’s aegyo attack while at it, and protected her piece of paper. “You didn’t let me see you practice so we're even.”   
  
“That’s because my performance was still messy.” Wendy sat herself next to Irene, apparently trying her best to look the most pitiful with her puppy expression.   
  
“So now you’re gonna play me your song?”   
  
“Er... tomorrow?”   
  
Irene looked at the younger girl for a moment and then held out her letter. “Give me your left hand and you can have my letter.”   
  
There was confusion in those eyes before Wendy let Irene see her hand.   
  
When she did, Irene held it with extra carefulness as though she was handling a fragile vase that could break any moment a single touch was laid. She began massaging the palm in long, slow movements, going slower and a lot gentler on a certain point that made Wendy cringe. She stayed on that same spot and repeated the motion a couple of time until the frown on Wendy’s forehead was gone, and then she did the same to those thin digits.   
  
Irene’s heart sunk a little to the floor when she felt thickness nowhere but on the tips. Wendy’s fingers were basically bones wrapped in skin, overworked by hours of guitar practice, and it hurt Irene knowing that it was a burden Wendy's alone to bear.   
  
Like, what was it that Irene wanted to show in her three minute corner tomorrow? A letter for fans? Even Irene could hear the mockery in her own voice.   
  
“You’re sleeping with me tonight,” she heard herself speak.   
  
“Why?”   
  
Irene looked up and met a very confused Wendy. “Because I say so.”   
  
“What about Yeri?”   
  
“Kang Seulgi is in charge of the kids for the night.”   
  
“Unnie,” Wendy said carefully, “is something wrong?”   
  
“Aside from the fact that we have to make an arrangement before we can share a room for sleep?”   
  
“Are we back to that topic again? I thought we're through with it.”   
  
“No, Wendy, I’m just messing with you.” Irene quickly offered the girl a smile before a frown could form in the latter’s expression. “Nothing is wrong. I'm just saying that we should sleep in one room because the kids would come home late and would probably disturb our sleep otherwise. Come on, get your PJ.”   
  
Ten minutes later Irene was on her bed with Wendy next to her. She still played with Wendy’s hand though she had turned the light off. She held the thin palm between her own. Irene was not really sure what to say and she knew she should probably stop with her free massage session, but for some odd slash selfish reason she wanted Wendy to stay awake for a little longer.   
  
This was the first time since they started living in a dorm that Irene shared a room alone with Wendy—something she had wanted to do since months ago, but could not because she had to take care of their maknae and mainly because Wendy was a selfless person. “Yeri needs her leader more than I do,” said the younger that day, and Irene could not argue much to that. Not because she wanted to look good and be labelled as a good leader, but simply because she could hardly say no to Wendy’s requests.   
  
Now that they were alone, Irene did not know it could be this hard just to fall asleep. And it was probably Irene alone because Wendy had gone very quiet next to her.   
  
That, until she heard the girl whispering, “What are you thinking?”   
  
“About tomorrow...? I don’t know.” Irene turned her head to the side, “You?”   
  
“You.”   
  
Irene blinked. “What?”

  
There was no light that could reflect what was written in Wendy’s eyes when the girl shifted to face Irene, yet her answer spelled out the unseen thought very clearly. “You, Joohyun-unnie, I was thinking about you. You and the time we had our very first stage.”   
  
“What about it?” Irene dared to ask.   
  
“I remember that I forgot to do and say something very important that day.”   
  
No second was spared for Irene to digest those words, because right after she said that, Wendy brought her right hand to cup Irene’s cheek and a quick kiss was planted on her lips. Like, very quick. So quick Irene was not sure it actually happened.   
  
“Thank you for always taking care of me, unnie. Now you should get some sleep, too.”   
  
“Wend—” Irene felt her voice stuck in her throat. She tried again, “Son Seungwan, what was that all about?”   
  
“That was what I forgot to do when we debuted. I had the impression that you’d figured it out, but I just have to make sure of it myself.”   
  
Irene could have sworn she heard Wendy smile through her words.   
  
“And seeing how you’re not pulling away now, I guess I was right with my deduction?” That smile had grown into a grin. A smug one.   
  
Probably a century had passed since Irene pondered on a response to give. And though she did not mean it that way, Wendy must have seen it as her way of rejecting her because then she shifted again and was on her back once more.   
  
“But I understand if you’d rather not to answer me now—or never, at that matter. I know that was so foolish of me. We have schedules tomorrow and you have a lot to take care of and here I am messing with your brain. I'm sorry.”   
  
“Son Seungwan,” Irene called the younger with her full name for the second time that night, “you said you forgot to do and say something, right? Now, why don’t you say what you forgot to, and we’ll see how I’ll respond to that? Though by now I’m almost a hundred percent sure what it is.”   
  
“Promise you won’t kick me off the bed if I tell you that?”   
  
Irene reached for Wendy’s jaw and brought herself up to get a better look at her. There was nothing much to see, really, only darkness and everything that was Wendy in the pit of the darkness, but Irene knew just where to lean down. She hovered just millimeters away above Wendy’s lips she was practically breathing in the same air as Wendy was. Her smile grew as she heard Wendy's breath hitch.   
  
“Goodness....” A low grunt escaped Wendy’s lips, and seconds later their position was reversed, triggering a snicker from Irene. Who knew Wendy could be so fun to tease? “No teasing, Bae Joohyun. That's a foul.”   
  
“Informal speech involved. A foul for you, too.”   
  
“Oh, you better get used to it. I’ll call you whatever I like from now on.”   
  
“Not until you say what you forgot to say.”   
  
Wendy did not bite back as Irene expected. Instead, she leaned in and pecked on Irene's nose, bearing so much tenderness with that simple gesture Irene might melt any second then.   
  
“Tomorrow, I’ll tell you tomorrow,” promised Wendy in a tone so low and melodic it could pass as a lullaby. “Now sleep. We need that.”   
  
Irene did not put so much effort to object to that idea. She did not even argue when Wendy pulled her into a hug. She simply rested her head at the meet of Wendy’s neck and shoulder and let sleepiness take over.   
  
Initially, Irene wanted to share a room with Wendy because she thought it would be best that she kept an eye on the girl, so that Wendy would actually get some sleep and not stay awake worrying about the next morning. Because Irene thought she had what it took to spare Wendy from whatever that worried her. Irene thought she was capable of giving Wendy the amount of love and sense of security Wendy needed in order to not feel restless throughout the night.   
  
But she did not have any of that. She was not capable of giving all that to Wendy, because the younger had beat her to it. It was not Irene who was capable of loving as much. It was Wendy.   
  


\--------


	2. A Beautiful Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was nothing wrong with liking someone and wanting to own them. Irene did not understand why Wendy thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently, Irene read my story and was inspired and decided to step up her game.
> 
> Yes, guys, yes, I'm the one who inspired Irene to share a room with Wendy after SMTown concert in Osaka. 
> 
> And as my celebration to WenRene actual first time being roommates, I decided to make a sequel. Yay! Also served as my #1YearOfHappinessWithRedVelvet celebration fic.

There were three small scratches on the knob and five larger ones on the door, or so Irene had spotted since the last three minutes spent sitting on the toilet. Irene did not have an OCD, mind you, and she definitely was not the type to count things. However, Irene had spent 129 days 21 hours and 38 minutes waiting for Wendy Shon to say what she forgot to say when they debuted. She had waited four months too long now counting felt like a hobby to her.

Irene had been waiting for so long and so many mornings had passed, yet Wendy still did not seem to have any plan to make a move or anything.

It stressed the hell out of her.

She could have sworn she  _ knew  _ exactly what Wendy wanted to tell her about that night.   _ Shit _ , Irene thought to herself, she should have just made the girl say it then. (This was also a change that happened to her, cursing, because she usually did not use such a word but it’s Wendy Shon, and no other word could describe Irene’s frustration better but the curse ones.)

She hated this.

Irene hated second thoughts. She hated doubting herself, questioning her self-worth, like she was not actually  _ that  _ good. That she was not as good as she thought she was, and that there was no way she, a complete lowlife, deserved any special attention from Wendy Son. Irene hated to admit that.

How was that even possible, she wondered, for Wendy to act so nonchalant? Still wrapping her oversized sweater around Irene, still holding her hand throughout SMTown concert encores, still catching Irene’s hand when she was about to fall, as though that night never happened. As if Irene had been so drunk she could not remember everything that Wendy had said and done.

Or it was probably Wendy who had been drunk. And she remembered none of those things while Irene had been utterly stupid for believing that Wendy actually felt the same kind of affection as Irene did toward her since they first met.

Every time such thoughts invaded her mind, like now, Irene wanted nothing but to be swallowed by the floor beneath her. Like, just disappeared, and who knew, maybe then Wendy would remember that she still owed Irene an explanation to that unexpected kiss.

She could not, though, because she was in the middle of a goddamn concert and she still had to be present for the encore stage in twenty minutes. Also because Wendy most probably would hold her hand throughout that encore, and in all honesty, Irene desperately wished the vocalist would.

She should, or Irene would initiated it herself.

Yeah, Irene said to herself, she should just initiated it. Even better, perhaps she would also confront –

Just as Irene began to plot her plan to extract the explanation from Wendy, Heaven seemed to hear her desperate prayer for right at that moment the door to her stall blasted open, revealing a panting Son Seungwan before her.

“What are you doing?” Irene exclaimed rather aggressively, feeling her cheek heating up from the sight before her. Wendy was panting hard, as though she had run from the farthest side of the stadium straight to the toilet, hair disheveled, her oversized t-shirt revealing too much of her collarbone, rendering Irene inept to think straight.

“I need to pee,” came an innocent answer from Wendy.

“And you just have to do that in my stall because...?”

The vocalist flashed Irene a brief small – clearly still attempting a murder on Irene whenever possible – before walking up to her. Then Wendy grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around, switching their positions so now the shorter girl was the one standing in front of the toilet.

“Other stalls are full,” Wendy reasoned. “This is much more convenient than waiting in line.”

Irene started panicking when she saw Wendy opening the toilet lid and ever so casually reaching for her jeans. The crazy girl – yes, she  _ must  _ be crazy, Irene decided – was so ready to unbutton her jeans when she seemed to notice her surroundings.  _ Irene’s presence _ , to be more specific, thank you very much.

“Unnie,” the younger girl called out, brows frowning a little, “you can turn around if you must. I really don’t mind either way.”

“Are you crazy?” spat Irene. Shrieked. She did not even know she could sound so high-pitched. “I’m going out.”

However, before Irene could fully turned on her heels, she felt Wendy's fingers on her arm. “No, no, no, Bae Joohyun –” Irene froze at the call, “unnie, wait.”

Irene heaved a sigh, mentally telling herself to stay composed before returning Wendy’s gaze.

“I really, really need to talk to you, but I also need to pee. Just give me thirty seconds, okay?”

For a second there, Wendy sounded like she did that night. Carelessly calling Irene by her full name, ditching formal speech and all that. And those eyes, they looked so helpless, a perfect reflection of Irene’s current state of mind it felt like she was looking in the mirror.

Irene let out another sigh, more frustrated now, “I can’t believe I’m putting up with your craziness.”

And it felt like the longest thirty seconds of her life. Irene did try to count, really, trying to take her mind anywhere out of the damned stall, but it was proven to be a harder task than to explain the meaning behind Red Velvet during her debut days. And Irene gave up because her malfunctioning brain would just wander back to the very person who was minding her bladder just a few step away behind her.

Just when did Wendy take out ‘embarrass’ and all words related to it from her dictionary?

“Unnie, you’re red.”

She heard the toilet flushing and Wendy’s steps coming dangerously closer.

“Encore’s in fifteen minutes, we should get going,” decided Irene fast as she turned around, both hands on her cheeks, trying to evade the scene before the younger girl could see just how red she already was. However, as she faced the latter, she was greeted by a big, annoying grin. The owner was looking overly amused Irene was tempted to wipe that grin off with a punch.

“Really now, Bae Joohyun?” Wendy enquired, an eyebrow rising challengingly.

“Unnie,” she corrected, to which the vocalist responded with a shrug.

“Unnie,” the younger repeated while raising her right hand to peel Irene’s hand off her cheek, only to replace it with her own, “I did tell you I would call you whatever I like since then, didn’t I?”

Irene scrunched her nose, refusing to acknowledge how good Wendy’s perfume smelled. “I don’t know, maybe?”

“‘Maybe’?”

It was Wendy’s turn to scrunch her nose. She moved her thumb against Irene’s cheekbone, gesturing her to open her eyes so she could read what the older girl might be thinking.

“No. Don’t. Stop that.” Irene caught her hand, eyes shooting open. “I’m thinking, stop distracting me.”

Wendy chuckled a little to that. “We’ve wasted too much time thinking, don’t you think, Unnie?” And before the older girl could respond, Wendy stepped closer and caught Irene’s lip between hers.

Unlike before, this time Wendy made sure to stay still and not pull away. She could hear Irene gasp, surprised by the gesture. Wendy was, too – she did not know she actually had the courage to kiss Bae Joohyun properly when she had been such a coward months earlier.

And it was the most dreading one second Wendy ever felt as she stood there, waiting for Irene to react. Thoughts flooded her brain and Wendy just could not stop herself from believing that she was already too late to come and claim Irene. She was months too late, and any second now Irene would slap her across the face for creeping her out.

However, just then something she did not even dare to dream happened. Irene kissed her back.

It was hesitant and wobbly at first as the older girl began to move her lips, hands rising to the back of Wendy’s neck in search of support, and with her other hand behind Irene’s head, Wendy backed the older girl to the door instead, certain enough she would not be a good support with her knees beginning to tremble.

Irene tasted like strawberry, sweet and soft against Wendy’s own lips, and for a fleeting moment Wendy wondered if it was the juice she drank earlier. With their bodies pressed closely together, Wendy could smell that vanilla scent perfume Irene used. It danced in Wendy’s nostrils and flared its way down to her throat Wendy could hardly suppress a groan. Bae Joohyun was intoxicating, she had always been, and Wendy was more than willing to be drunk in her scent forever.

“God…” Irene breathed out, breaking the kiss and looking just as breathless. “I can’t believe you just kissed me in a toilet.”

“I just did.”

“And that’s all you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Sleep with me tonight,” Wendy said without thinking, and only after those words left her mouth did Wendy realize how wrong she sounded. “I – I mean together, in a room – uh, share a room with me?”

Irene’s laughter echoed in the small space. Her hands which were still on Wendy’s neck moved in circles, “Seungwan, you’re stuttering.”

Then she saw Wendy shutting her eyes close, brows knitted together, seemingly trying hard to find the right word to say. And Irene waited, giving the vocalist all the minutes she needed while watching in amusement, amused at that facial expression Wendy was making.

Strange, Irene thought to herself, how the younger girl hated aegyo so much when she did it the best.

“We’re arranged in three rooms,” finally Wendy said, sounding a bit more composed. “Seulgi specifically requested a room  _ without  _ Joy and Yeri. And I think, for the sake of world peace, we should let the two room together.”

“World peace’s sake, huh?”

“Uh, yes or no? Or we can do rock-paper-scissor and the winner can decide the room arrangement.”

Wendy looked so flustered at that moment, and Irene could not help but laugh because only minutes ago she herself was the one who was embarrassed by the vocalist. So she moved her hands to Wendy’s ears and caressed them with her thumbs, asking, “Where has the confident Wendy Shon gone?”

“Unnie, stop teasing me.”

“I got wrinkles from waiting too long, Seungwan. You at least deserve this.”

The smile Wendy offered her was apologetic, and really, even before the younger verbalized the apology, Irene had long forgiven her. How Irene was so incapable of staying mad at the younger girl was still a mystery to her.

“Did you see the moon tonight?” Wendy asked and then paused, only to steal another kiss from Irene. Chaste, so casual, and felt just right. “It’s beautiful. I want to see it together with you.”

“Eww, Seungwan, that’s so corny.”

“I’ll take that as a yes? You and me sharing a room later?”

Of course it was a yes. Wendy was probably dense somewhat, Irene concluded, because the younger still had to ask whether Irene would agree with her idea or not.  _ Of course _ Irene would. Like she ever said no to Wendy.

So there they were, sitting lazily on bed, with devilish snicker coming from Joy and Yeri's room accompanying them (now Irene understood why Seulgi had chosen the farthest room from the maknae’s). The beautiful night sky of Osaka that Wendy promised her had been long forgotten as they sat there, doing exactly nothing but looking at each other. Who needed pretty half-moon anyway, Irene wondered, when Son Seungwan was staring at her with a smile much brighter than the moon itself?

But they had stayed like that for minutes now. “I thought you forgot,” Irene had admitted earlier, and Wendy had yet to give her a response to that. The younger girl looked so deep in thought, hands absently playing with Irene’s hair, eyes never leaving Irene’s face, but she was not really present. She looked detached.

“I’m not mad, if that’s what you’re worried about,” added Irene, finally breaking the silence.

“You have every right to be mad at me though,” Wendy responded. “No, actually, thinking back about it, you should be more than mad at me. I promised you an explanation like five months ago, but I never gave one and even now I can barely say a word about it.”

Irene pulled away from Wendy’s touch. The loss stung more than she had expected. “You’re having second thoughts.”

“About my feelings for you? Hell no.” Wendy shifted her body closer to Irene, attempting to get a hold of the older girl’s shoulders. “Look, Bae Joohyun, I really, really like you. I like your quiet smile when on camera, I like your voice when you laugh, I like the way you scowl when things you don’t like happen, I like the way you take care of the members, I like – God, I like you, all right? Ever since the first time I came to the company. And I did not forget. I would never, when you’re always there 24/7, sending strange tingling sensation down my stomach nonstop. I couldn't.

“It’s just that... this is so selfish of me, you see? We're not even 1 year into our debut yet, and here I am messing with your brain once again and playing with your heart. You have many things to take care of, and I should be helping you with those things and not being a burden myself. Really, you don’t have to answer to this stupid confession of mine. It’s just me and my foolish brain and uncontrollable hormone –”

Wendy was so lost in the mess that was her brain she missed how the corners of Irene’s lips were curving up into a smile with every word she uttered. She only noticed it when Irene threw her arms around her neck, pulling her closer, and shut her with a peck on the lips.

“Say that again,” demanded the leader.

“I’m selfish and you have no obligation –”

“Before that.”

Wendy blinked and noticed the smile in Irene’s eyes. The way those dark orbs twinkled gave her hope somehow. So she braced herself and said it, clearly and more firmly this time, “I like you, Bae Joohyun.”

And Irene snorted. Aloud. Wendy wanted nothing but to explode into million tiny pieces so she did not have to bear the embarrassment.

“Son Seungwan,” Irene’s call interrupted her crazy thoughts, “you’re really, really smart, but you can be utterly stupid at times. No offence.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling –”

“I like you, too, silly.” The older girl cut her off, whispering her answer in a way that surely would have made Wendy evaporate had Irene not been holding her close. Then Irene raised a hand to Wendy’s forehead and eased a frown that had almost been made permanent there. “Stop talking for a minute, will you? Stop thinking, too.”

“You... you like me,” repeated Wendy, triggering Irene’s brow to rise.

“I thought you said you had deduced how I felt about you. You were so confident when you kissed me then.”

“It’s just – I don’t think I deserve this.”

“Stop it.” Irene brought her hands to Wendy’s ears once again in her attempt to make the vocalist deaf of her own thoughts. She could feel her left chest ache from hearing Wendy’s monolog alone, she did not know how Wendy survived every day with those dangerous thoughts running around her brain nonstop.

Then she leaned in for a kiss. She captured Wendy’s upper lips in a slow kiss, trying to distract Wendy from her poisonous mind, but when Wendy just stayed still, not giving her any response, Irene shifted to the younger’s lower lips. She kissed it repeatedly, suddenly feeling desperate and rejected because of Wendy’s lack of response. “You deserve this,” she chanted between kisses, reassuring the vocalist and herself as well effectively. There was nothing wrong with liking someone and wanting to own them. Irene did not understand why Wendy thought otherwise.

And then, just when Irene bit on the younger’s lip out of pure frustration, she finally got a reaction. Wendy’s hand had wrapped around Irene’s waist when the younger began kissing her back, fighting her way for domination. Words were not needed at that moment, but from the way Wendy held her so close, Irene knew Wendy was just as frustrated and scared, as if she did not believe Irene and wanted to prove it herself if she really was worth it.

Before she knew it, Irene felt mattress pressed against her back. She pulled away from the kiss and found Wendy looking down at her. The younger girl had somehow managed to tackle Irene and pushed her down the mattress, and now was hovering above the leader with a slightly labored breathing.

God, she liked this girl so much. She liked the way Wendy stared down at her like that. She liked how Wendy would lift her hand to touch her face. How the vocalist would touch Irene with her fingertips ever so gently, tentatively with cautions clouded her brown orbs, somehow in doubt that Irene would not like the gesture. How the outgoing and confident Wendy Shon would be this hesitant and overly careful Seungwan right at that moment.

“You deserve this,” Irene repeated, not loosening her grip around Wendy’s shoulder, then added in a playful tone, “You deserve me.”

“The most expensive prize I’ve ever received, I must say,” responded Wendy, playing along with Irene’s joke. Though saying so, her tone was still too quiet for Irene’s liking. And it made Irene felt guilty herself. She – without knowing all these thoughts that had troubled Wendy since that night – ever selfishly thought Wendy was just playing with her, that Wendy did not mean any of the things she did that night. This girl, she was just so precious, so selfless; it was Irene who was lucky to receive such an expensive prize.

“What do we do now?” Wendy asked, now relaxed enough to lean down and kiss Irene’s eyes.

“Sleep,” Irene hummed, appreciating Wendy's light touches all over her face.

“Unnie, I’m serious.”

“I am, too. We still have to wake up early tomorrow, we should not waste precious sleep time.”

“Gosh, Bae Joohyun, I just confessed my feelings for you and expressed how honored I felt because you returned my feeling. Why are you so unromantic?”

Irene clicked her tongue, dissatisfied because now Wendy had stopped showering her with kisses and just stared at her, waiting for an answer. Wendy Shon and her thoughts, they really had to be separated at times. For everybody’s sake. Seriously.

“Yes, Seungwan, and I did say I like you, too. Isn’t that enough – oh!” Irene gasped as she realized where Wendy was going with this conversation. Her smile turned mischievous. “You want a title? A label? You want to label this? Us? Uh, girlfriend?”

A groan escaped Wendy’s lips and she rolled to the side, hand readily rose to cover her eyes. “Oh my God, forget it.”

Irene’s laughter exploded. She turned to her side and noticed how red Wendy’s cheek was. “Wow, this sure escalates quickly. Should we decide pet names as well?”

“You’re right. We should sleep.” As fast as her reply came, Wendy sat and dragged her body to her side of the bed. And while Wendy busied herself to get comfortable on the bed, ignoring Irene while at it, Irene only watched, hardly able to control her laughter. Wendy was really so fun to tease.

“Unnie,” the vocalist called seconds later, and Irene immediately schooled her expression. “Come,” said Wendy while clearing her throat. A lighter shade of pink still decorated her cheeks when she spread her left hand and gestured for Irene to move closer. “Sleep.” And Irene could have sworn her heart swelled from the amount of cuteness Wendy emitted by vocalizing that one word.

She wasted no time to do as told. Pulling the blanket up with her, Irene lay down closely to the younger girl and used her hand as a second pillow.

“Try not to think too much, Wan-ah,” she said as she looked at Wendy in the eye. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’ll try.”

Then, right before Wendy switched her bedside table lamp off, Irene spotted black dots on the lamp. Dirt. Four of them. Irene chuckled to herself at the thought. That would be the last counting she did, she realized. No more counting, because the very reason of her restless counting was now lying next to her, breathing steadily as sleepiness took over. And Wendy’s presence alone was enough to make counting irrelevant to Irene’s brain because – it might be her tired brain talking, but – Irene could not see the end of this road she started mapping together with the younger girl. Being with Wendy was timeless.

What’s the use of counting when Irene could not think of any reasons to stop being with the girl?

She snuggled closer to Wendy’s neck and finally let sleepiness take over.

This, as Wendy told her, was indeed a beautiful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my girls, happy 1st anniversary! Whoaa it feels like yesterday when SM first announced about the ‘new girl group’ and now it's 1 year already. Thank you for enduring the hardship and debuting together. Let’s stay together for a long, long time.


	3. A Weekly Night Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irene was spotted going to MuBank with the screen of her phone cracked. That was probably due to this.

“We’re not doing it.”

The tone which the younger girl used to voice out her disagreement was cold, almost angry and uncaring. Irene probably had heard it wrong, because never in her short three-year of knowing Son Seungwan had she heard the latter sound upset. Sure, she would whine occasionally whenever Irene teased her, but to sound legit angry like now? That was a first.

So Irene put down her stack of cards and calmly ask Wendy why, to which Wendy replied with, “Just because,” triggering a frown on Irene’s forehead.

They were in the middle of a practice for Irene’s MC-ing tomorrow. Or rather, Irene was practicing, going through her lines—damned scripted lines—with Wendy assisting her. They were just on page three, Irene reciting a line which remarked how the weather had become colder, when Wendy suddenly put down her cue cards instead of responding to Irene and carrying on with her part— _ Bogum’s _ , Irene corrected herself, Bogum’s parts which Wendy had agreed on practicing along with her weeks ago.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Irene reached out and placed a hand on Wendy’s forehead. No, the younger girl did not have a fever.

“That’s not it,” said Wendy, taking Irene’s hand and weighing it on her own palm. Something was bothering the girl again, Irene noticed, as a deep frown started forming on the younger’s forehead.

The silence stretched longer than Irene liked, and it reminded her how sometimes Irene wished she could be a vampire, preferably one who had a gift like Edward Cullen, so she could read Wendy’s mind whenever she wanted. Like now, for instance, because Wendy often had something troubling her mind but she chose to keep it to herself than to share it with someone else. With anyone. With Irene. And it drove Irene crazy every single time.

“I’m sorry, unnie—” there it was again, the wall Wendy suddenly put up to separate herself away from Irene’s reach, that honorific, “you should ask Seulgi to help you for tonight.”

With that, Wendy rose from her seat and left the kitchen.

Irene was dumbfounded. No, beyond that actually, and Irene was too surprised at Wendy’s display of anger that she could not do anything but stalk Wendy’s movement until the girl disappeared around the corner.

The abandoned cue cards on the table were picked up, and Irene looked through them once again. She had memorized them all, actually, and though scripted, it was not like she would not be allowed to look at them and read during the broadcast in case she forgot something. It’s just that Irene felt the need to go through those scripted lines with Wendy, less because the younger girl had spared her precious time which she could better spend baking than because she needed Wendy to keep her mind focused. It was obvious that Irene would not be able to ask Seulgi to help her out with it because—well, because Seulgi was not Wendy. The trick would not work.

These lines... they’re crazy—worse than any cheap drama scenarios she had ever watched on TV, and there were a lot of them, because Seulgi never missed a single episode of all dramas ever aired, so it was saying something. Yet it was not in Irene’s possession the authority to tell the script writer that he better off quit his job than to keep producing weekly trashy romance. Nor could she quit herself. The agency would go wild and dismiss her as an irresponsible rookie as well as leader for failing to see the opportunity to promote her group through the show.

Really, if it wasn’t for Wendy—

“What happened?” a demanding voice cut short Irene’s train of thoughts. “And why is  _ my _ Wendy-unnie offering to clean up my room this late at night?”

Irene looked up and found Kim Yerim standing by the door, hands crossed over her chest, lip jutting out in protest. Irene would have rolled her eyes hard at Yeri’s emphasis on the word ‘my’, she would, had she not seen who followed right behind the maknae—both Park Sooyoung and Kang Seulgi, practically the entire gang minus Wendy, and all looked equally murderous.

“Geez...” Joy moved forward and strode in big steps while her hands reached out. Before Irene could defend it, the cards were snatched away from her. “Just as I expected,” said Joy, eyes scanning one card fast, sounding impatient. When she was done, her eyes fell on Irene’s figure.

“What?” Irene shot back, bewildered as well as offended. What had she done wrong for the tall maknae to judge her like that?

“Seriously, unnie?”

Behind the tallest girl, Irene could hear Seulgi whispering to Yeri, something about Yeri and Joy sleeping in the big room with her, and telling her to check up on Wendy. Then Yeri left the kitchen and Seulgi moved forward, joining Joy in the ‘judging you so hard now’ squad, though less threatening and less intimidating—if anything, Seulgi looked the most confused out of the three of them.

“This ‘the weather has become colder nowadays, please be careful not to catch a cold’ line is kind of overused now, don’t you think?” Joy asked, quoting the exact same line which Irene recited before her practice with Wendy was halted. “Does it also come with you being given a jacket by him?”

“No,” replied Irene fast—she remembered that one and just the thought of it still made her cringe, “that was from the other week. It’s not—”

Irene’s eyes widened as it suddenly downed on her that she was very, very stupid. An idiot. An insensitive imbecile. And to think that she was being her thoughtful and responsible self for practicing her MC-ing routine to make it perfect.

“I’ve told her it was a bad idea to begin with,” said Joy, now less judging than before, “but she insisted that she would do whatever possible to help you out. Well,” Joy shrugged her shoulders, a lopsided smile decorating her lips, “at least, now we know that our Wendy-unnie has a limited amount of patience as well. Just like all of us. She’s actually human.”

“Sooyoung...” Seulgi said quietly, eyes glancing worriedly at the younger girl, perhaps worried at the girl’s well-being for being too careless with her choice of words, afraid that Irene would lose it and start hitting the tall girl in the head.

“I’m right though.” Joy was adamant, and Irene could not agree more with her. Joy was right, and no one Irene found more suitable to be hit in the head than herself at the moment. Even as patient as Wendy could be, there must be a limit to it. And Irene, being her insensitive self, had pushed it too hard, pushing Wendy past that limitation.

“Now, go,” Joy told her. “She’s in my room now. I and—”

Irene did not get to hear the rest of what Joy was saying. She immediately rose from her seat, grabbed her phone, and dashed to Joy and Yeri’s shared bedroom, leaving a smirking Joy and a grinning Seulgi behind, cue cards abandoned.

“Sure, sure,” said Joy aloud, though she knew the leader would not hear it, “you can thank us later.”

\--

The shipwreck that was once Joy and Yeri’s shared room was nowhere in sight when Irene made her way there. Inside the room was now a very clean bedroom, no dirty clothes hanging over Yeri’s bed or sheds of Joy’s clothes lying on the floor. Even the sheets were changed. Irene quickly located Wendy at the far corner of the room, folding clean clothes, with Yeri diligently assisting her by arranging the folded ones into the closet.

Yeri was the first to notice Irene’s presence in the doorway, and she quickly shook her head when Irene gestured her to exit the room. Bless her young soul, the precious maknae looked extremely worried and concerned of her precious Wendy-unnie that she did not want to leave the older girl alone with Irene—probably afraid that Irene would hurt her more, and Wendy would even volunteer to clean the whole dorm before they knew it.

It was some sort of healing method for her, Wendy once told Irene. Cleaning was. That the younger girl would go around cleaning things she found dirty when she was upset, and it actually helped her clear her mind.

But Irene was here, and instead of tiring herself out this late at night, Irene would love it if Wendy would just take it all out on her instead. Because, after all, it was Irene who made Wendy upset in the first place. She and her insensitive self and the damn scripted lines.

Yeri only gave up when it was Wendy who told her to leave. The vocalist smiled at the maknae, completely oblivious of Irene’s presence, and thanked her for helping.

“You can sleep here, unnie,” said Yeri meekly, seemingly disagreed with what she was about to say. “I and Sooyoung-unnie will sleep in your room.” Before a frown could form on Wendy’s forehead, Yeri lifted a hand and pointed it in Irene’s direction.

It did not take a genius for Wendy to put two and two together; her eyes immediately met Irene’s, and that smile faltered a bit as she looked back at Yeri, telling her that she could leave if she wanted.

“I’ll take the top bunk,” was what Wendy told Irene when Yeri exit the room. The smile was erased, and the girl now looked kind of... guilty?

Irene waited until Wendy actually reached the top bunk and got herself comfortable there before she approached the girl. She carefully climbed up the steps and stopped when she met eyes with two dark orbs, staring back at her from behind brown locks of hair.

“I’m not gonna sleep down there,” Irene told the younger girl, and to Irene’s relief, Wendy automatically shifted from her spot, allowing Irene to fit in the small space on the bed. Pushing herself up, Irene lay down next to Wendy, phone safely tucked under the pillow, and she allowed herself to stare at the vocalist up close.

The apology was on the tip of her tongue but—perhaps it was because Wendy was holding her gaze in such a way—Irene could not utter it. Somehow if she did, she would break the spell those eyes had casted on her—crazy, but nothing had ever made sense since Wendy’s around anyway. Yet her body always betrayed her at times like this, and her hand had found its way to Wendy’s cheek before it could be stopped. She poked that squishy cheek once, then covered it fully with her palm, smiling inwardly when Wendy closed her eyes and leaned in to the touch.

“I couldn’t do it,” Wendy breathed out so quietly that it sounded dreamy to Irene’s ear.

“It’s okay. I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” responded Wendy fast. “It’s me, you see. I couldn’t do it because I knew it’s just a practice. The real deal is when you’re side by side with him tomorrow. Just like every other Friday. And I know it sounds selfish but it... it upsets me.”

“No, Wendy, you have every right to be upset. I was just too dense to realize.”

Wendy’s eyes shot open. “I have the right to be mad at you for doing your job? We both know I should be more professional than that.”

“Wendy...” Irene reminded herself to breathe. Dealing with Wendy and her dangerous thoughts was not an easy task to begin with, and Irene was still in the process of learning the most efficient way to deal with it, to shut it down, and to save Wendy from those poisonous thoughts.

She began again, now letting her body do as it pleased, scooting closer to the vocalist, bumping their noses together, an arm wrapped around Wendy’s waist in a loose hug.

“Seungwan,” she said, “you’re wrong.  _ This is  _ the real deal. I never told you this, but you are the reason I can make it through each broadcast. Picturing your face and repeatedly telling myself that I can do it because I have practiced it with you, imagining that it is you standing on stage with me, and not him.” Irene paused briefly for effect, hoping her reasoning would be enough to shut down Wendy’s restless mind, and let her lips place a peck on Wendy’s.

“ _ This is  _ the real deal,” she conveyed it aloud. “ _ You  _ are the real deal, Seungwan.”

The smile that then spread across the vocalist’s face was the most beautiful Irene had ever seen—not for the fact that it was bright because, really, it was just a small smile, but simply because Wendy was closing her eyes again and that smile made her look exquisite, aesthetic, and everything beautiful in this world, and here Irene was, the luckiest person alive, witnessing the beauty unravel.

“If I could, I would’ve engraved those word on your forehead so you would never forget,” Irene carried on. “But then dozens of fangirls would hunt me down for scaring such a precious, shiny forehead.”

Wendy let out a giggle, finding the idea amusing. “I can always hide it with my fringes,” she suggested.

“Poor forehead.”

“All right, let’s sleep before you reopen the discussion about my fringes versus my forehead again.”

Irene snuggled closer to Wendy as the younger girl turned to lie on her back, deliberately pressing her lips against Wendy’s neck. They lay there, faithfully listening to the silence, until Irene jabbed a finger into Wendy’s ribs.

“Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

“No,” answered Wendy, shaking her head, “I wasn’t mad at you.”

“Glad that you weren’t, because I honestly wouldn’t know how to make you forgive me.”

“Well, I would easily forgive you regardless. I’m not good at staying mad at people. Besides,” now it was Wendy’s turn to poke her side, “I wouldn’t dare to push it, because you’re the scariest when angry. Before I know it, you’ll be the one who’s mad at me for being angry with you.”

At that, Irene instantly sat up right, eyes locked on Wendy who was already snickering. “I’m not.”

“Okay...”

“Wendy—”

“Come here, Bae Joohyun,” Wendy cut her off, a hand grabbing Irene’s shoulder and pulling her down once again. “Get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow for you. You shouldn’t stay up late.”

Though saying so, Wendy was still giggling when she wrapped her arm around Irene’s shoulder, and Irene went for the girl’s ribs again, jabbing on one bone hard to silent the vocalist, earning her a loud ‘aww’ in response.

“Shut up,” she said in Wendy’s ear. “Just because you’re the real deal, doesn’t mean you’re allowed to make fun of me 24/7.”

\--

The next morning came in peace. Irene easily woke up because of Wendy’s movement in her sleep. Ever carefully, Irene pulled away from Wendy’s hold as to not wake the younger girl up, and as stealthy she took her phone from under the pillow. It was probably a little past six—Irene’s body clock was not as messed up yet but she just had the tendency to check it.

She was correct though; it was a little past six—seven minutes past six, to be exact.

So she went to shake Wendy awake, asking her if she would like to have breakfast together, when the sleeping girl ever so suddenly lifted up her hand that was Irene’s second pillow last night, swinging it so fast and so abruptly Irene had no time to react. It hit Irene’s hand hard, and damn Son Seungwan and her too excessive strength even when asleep, it knocked Irene’s phone off. The poor thing went flying out of Irene’s hold, landing with a very loud thud on the hard floor beneath. The cracking sound was unmistaken, and it broke Irene’s heart along with it.

It was probably because the sound was so loud, Wendy was awake the next second.  _ Thank goodness she’s awake _ , because Irene would prefer  _ not  _ to kill the vocalist in her sleep.

“Wha—”

“Son. Seungwan.”

It only took those two words and Irene’s burning eyes on the girl for Wendy to realize that she was in a big trouble. Sleepiness had left her completely, and she looked in horror at Irene’s empty hand before following her gaze down to the floor.

_ Stay calm, _ Irene’s brain tried to calm her down. _ Breathe in. Breathe out. _

But then Wendy laid a hand on Irene’s shoulder and spoke. “Joohyun, babe, don’t be mad.”

And that’s how Irene lost it. “ _ Don’t ‘babe’ me, Son Seungwan! _ ”

\--------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone went for the rated version of what might happen upon seeing Irene’s cracked phone screen. I didn’t.


End file.
